This invention is related to a non-slip, self-adhesive, flexible pad, the pad being made of material which can be affixed to the body of a stringed musical instrument where the surface of the instrument comes in contact with the player's clothing.
Because the surfaces of stringed instruments are highly polished there is little friction between the instrument itself and the player's clothing. Therefore, these instruments have a tendency to slip from the player's clothing while being played. The slipping motion of the instrument requires the player to readjust the instrument to the correct playing position, which can be distracting to the player and interfere with his or her performance.
In the case of a guitar being played while in a sitting playing position, many players opt to use a guitar strap to prevent the guitar from slipping from their clothing. This solution can be uncomfortable, confining and cumbersome to the player. Furthermore, a guitar strap is not a suitable solution for many of the other types of stringed instruments that have a tendency to slip from the player's clothing while being played.
This invention addresses the problem of the surface of a stringed instrument slipping on a player's clothing and eliminates the constant readjusting of the instrument, or of the player's position, during the player's performance.
From conducting research of prior art, nothing was found that addresses the problem of a stringed instrument slipping from a player's clothing. However, the search did yield one patent using the phrase, “The cover has anti-slip ribs and may have sheets or patches of frictional material such as cork and rubber or fabric, for example, secured to the back and side of the cover to engage the clothes of the user and prevent slipping relative to the cloths”.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,258, dated May 17, 1966, titled “Stringed Instrument Protector”, issued to G. H. Parker, there is disclosed a stringed instrument protector which, in one embodied form, comprises a sheet of flexible plastic material, such as polyethylene, to fit closely on the back, sides and a portion of the front of the body of a stringed instrument. This invention is a plastic, protective cover for stringed instruments, namely electric guitars, to protect the instrument's finish from damage while it is on display at the store and while prospective buyers evaluate the instrument. Because this protective cover is made from plastic, Parker found it may be necessary to secure anti-slip ribs made of friction material to the back and sides of the cover to engage the clothes of the prospective buyer and prevent the instrument, while in this protective cover, from slipping on their clothing while being evaluated. This solution does not address the problem of the surface of a stringed instrument slipping on a player's clothing while playing, but is to prevent damage to the instrument while it is on display and while being evaluated by potential buyers. If its intended purpose was to be used on a permanent basis to prevent a stringed instrument from slipping, it would have been a cumbersome solution because the instrument would essentially be enveloped in a plastic glove, which would also adversely affect the acoustic properties of the sound generated by an acoustic, stringed instrument.